


The Rose Petal Effect

by DeafAngel2000



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies), descendants - Fandom
Genre: Cheerleaders, Demigods, Djinni & Genies, F/M, Fae & Fairies, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Magic, Royalty, Second Chances, Time Travel, United States of Auradon (Disney) Is Not Perfect, audrey is a badass, tourney
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-28 17:47:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30143256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeafAngel2000/pseuds/DeafAngel2000
Summary: Once, a princess watched as the king she loved found Happily Ever After without her. For 5 years, she gave herself to her kingdom and ruled justly until the insurgents came. Too late to save the ones she loves, an unseen entity took pity and reversed the hands of Time. There's nothing to guide a princess who couldn't remember the past. All she had were feelings...and rose petals.
Relationships: Adam/Belle (Disney), Aurora/Phillip (Disney), Ben/Audrey Rose (Disney: Descendants), Ben/Mal (Disney: Descendants), Doug/Evie (Disney: Descendants), potential Jay/Audrey Rose
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	The Rose Petal Effect

**3rd POV**

_CLOP! CLOP! CLOP!_

_"Come on..."_

_CLOP! CLOP! CLOP!_

_"Come on..."_

_CLOP! CLOP! CLOP!_

_"COME ON! GO, AMARYLLIS!" growls Her Royal Majesty, Queen Audrea "Audrey" Rose Auger Beauregard, as she commanded and clicked at her beautiful white trotter, Amaryllis, through the dark cover of the night as the horse galloped past the burning buildings and ruined fields of what was once her beautiful kingdom, Auroria. Audrey tried to ignore the stench of burned roses and lavender doubled with the scent of blood and drowned out the sounds of swords clashing and her beloved subjects screaming for the end of their horrifying fates._

_It should never have been like this. It shouldn't have come to this!?_

_As Amaryllis thundered across the land, the queen needed to think and ponder on where everything had gone wrong. Perhaps it would be too obvious if it started with Barrier Day. It was the royal engagement party of King Benjamin "Ben" Florian Beauchamp and his then-fiancee, Lady Mal Bertha de Fae, where they celebrated and chose to use Fairy Godmother's wand to bring down the barrier that had surrounded the Isle of the Lost for two decades, freeing the children of the isle and subquentially releasing some retired villains that were put there in the first place. It was a massive celebration that somehow became an unofficial holiday!_

_No, that was too far back and a long time coming. And it wasn't like King Ben didn't have measures in place to rehabilitate retired villains who wanted to move on with their life. And besides, not many even left the isle afterward. His father, Former King Adam, should have gotten those kids off the isle and he didn't, so it was left to his son to liberate them. But, unsurprisingly, it was Mal who got most credit as "Auradon's Protector" when the going got rough. Guess it pays to be part Fae/part Demigod._

_And for the then-princess of Auroria at that time, it was the least of her major worries._

_If she had to be honest, it was the past 5 years after Barrier Day when things really changed. In order, there was a royal engagement, a royal wedding, two royal coronations, a royal death, bouts of uprisings, and then...to this, where a queen of a fallen kingdom is running for her life._

_So best to start with: After the royal engagement of Lady Mal to King Ben..._

* * *

_Because of her time as the "Queen of Mean", the princess lost a lot of her reputation - if she hadn't already fallen in relevance because of Mal's rising fame. The Royal Aurorian family PR team worked tirelessly trying to fix Audrey's image for the public. So, attending the soon-to-be-royal couple's engagement party was a huge step in the right direction. After that, and her new lease on life after being corrupted by the scepter, Audrey offered to host some of the Isle kids to Auroria. But when it didn't go, so she changed tactics and got King Ben and the Cou_ _ncil to agree to_ _a new_ _offer: Bring the children to spend a week in Auroria during the yearly Fête des Roses - The Rose Festival. A combination of Queen Aurora's birthday, sixteen-year long absence, and a gala celebrating the demise of the evil fairy, Maleficent (she didn't phrase the last part in those words, for Ben's sake)._

 _Because of the discouragement of magic usage, the three fairies couldn't use magic to highlight the festivities and their roles in history. With the children freed, some of the magical few are exposed to their newfound powers. And Audrey argued, who'd better show the VKs what magic used for good looks like than a royal formally corrupted by Dark Magic herself! Unlike the failed posters of Mal's transition to good, Audrey_ _decided to take it as another step forward to her new view on life. She wasn't as "Good" as she thought she was, no matter how much everyone told her otherwise. She was truthful, but it didn't win her any points especially after high school. If a representative of Auradon had to show what it meant to be good and bad, it had to be her._

_With much persuasion and a bit of well-placed compliments, King Ben and the council agreed to her terms. And after a lot of hard work, the festival was a HUGE success! One of the most festive times of the year got even more hyped up with the appearance of the three fairies and their beautifully crafted use of magic. Not only did Audrey's popularity arise with her work, but once word got out of magical celebrations, it got the ball rolling when other kingdoms wanted to do the same. After that, once Audrey threw put all the death threats in her mail, she got to see an entirely new side of her subjects who wanted to see more from her along with "Thank You" letters from the visiting VKs. Reading those letters opened up a door for her she didn't realize was there. She wasn't alone and her people needed her._

_With permission, King Philip and Queen Aurora helped Audrey by making her a patroness of the Aurorian Institute of Mental Health and_ _Edith Moulin's Dance Academy. Audrey was always a fan of the arts and mental health awareness was needed more than ever. While doing coursework for Auroria Univerity, Audrey attended various engagements and galas to raise awareness for her causes. With tutors, she started her own diplomatic tour to raise support and find those who shared her ideals. Taking a page out of her book, King Ben named the newly ennobled Lady Evie a patroness of fashion and for the homeless, fitting especially since she started helping out on the isle as well. The two met up again at a gala in Auradon Capital and it was the blunette that introduced her to one of her employees at Evie's 4 Hearts, Guillaume "Gil" LeGume. Meeting him turned into an opportunity to meet the legendary_ _Uma Triskelion - The_ _Ambassador, The Barnacle in King Triton's tail, and the "true" Queen of the Isle of the Lost, along with her First Mate, Harry Hook. They bonded over a surprisingly vast amount of topics, included their dislike for Mal. This newfound alliance brought to Audrey's attention more about life on the isle and determination to do something._

_It was no surprise that few of the nobles from other countries considered investing in the Isle, but it was more for face value than to get actual work done. To avoid being thought of the same way, Audrey secretly secured passage to the isle (the pirates don't trust the bridge) under nightfall via Uma's ship and began a private tour of the island. Ironically, for an island full of villains, some lower-income subjects from Auradon took advantage of the space left over from the rehabilitated villains who moved out. She learned so much more, such as the island is mostly barren and relying on fishing to produce a stable economy post-barrier. Thus, she secretly secured help from the fairies to make some of the land fertile again so they can grow more stuff. The truthful cover story was that Audrey was helping other farmers make more money by helping induce trade by sending rose jams, bread, cheese, and other healthy fruit preserves to the Isle for a trial run. It was a known fact all the islanders knew were stale to rotten food and she wished that anyone else who had continued to stay there got ahold of fresh food for once. This came with an unusually high success rate that Uma told her was not surprising considering fresh food was considered a luxury and being sold at low prices at abundance would make anybody's pocket line with cash._

* * *

_But alas, no successes under Audrey's belt can be ignored under Mal's watch._

_With the upcoming nuptials of the happy couple and all that came with royal engagements, it almost seemed startling convenient that what Audrey started was being copied by Mal. The Auradon Capital had started sending aid including medical supplies, furniture, tools, and materials, all of it deemed necessary as if the royal family backing Mal was trying to rebuild everything on the Isle. While anyone else had seen it as Mal contributing to her former birthplace, especially as a project before she becomes queen, Audrey had to agree with her grandmother that Mal had somehow warped this into a popularity contest and using her better-looking reputation to claim the glory. It was because of this, Audrey slowly distanced herself from her physical involvement in the Isle. She wasn't using the island to make herself look better, she was doing it to make the island better and more habitual. She was picking her battles and if the outcome meant better conditions for the Isle, that was a win for her as well._ _And speaking of the wedding, Lady Mal had personally made a trip to Auroria, in dragon form no less, to see her with a request: Be one of her bridesmaids._

_The reasoning was that she and Ben would be the first of their age-group, and generation, to marry. After postponing the wedding for a year so they could attend Auradone Regional University and then deciding to coursework from the castle, they decided to get the wedding over and done with. This meant setting the bar high for a royal, grand wedding and being a trendsetter of sorts with combining cultures from both Auradon and the Isle involved. One of them is the number of groomsmen and bridesmaids. Ben has four (Doug Bergmann- The Best Man/Son of Dopey, Prince Aziz Abadi - Son of Jasmine and Aladdin, Jay Farouq - Son of Jafar, and Chad Charming - Son of Cinderella and Prince Charming). Mal wanted the same, but w_ _as short a bridesmaid, after making Evie Heinrich, her Maid of Honor, following Lonnie Li and Jane Fay. Considering their past and after everything they've done (to each other), Mal thought it would be fitting that Audrey wasn't just a royal spectator and was by her side as her fourth bridesmaid!_

_If her grandmother had been there, even after burying the hatchets after Hades saved her granddaughter from Death itself, Auroria's Royal_ _Queen Mother Leah would have hit her max limits with the dual-natured fae's_ _insensitivity! But she was not, and wouldn't be for a time as she had suffered from a stroke was given time to recuperate in her parents' starter chateau, the dubbed "Honeymoon Cottage", for the time being. Having that experience showed her what time she had wasted hurting her granddaughter and caused them to reconcile, see each other in a new light, and understand each other. And for that, she acknowledged Audrey's "silly emotions" and finally saw the pain that she cruelly brushed aside and nearly lost her to due to Maleficent's scepter. And looking back, she had forgiven herself for thinking Mal was her mother...only to learn certain things and see that she's subtly worst! When Leah accepted the fact Audrey would be better off as Queen Regnant of Auroria, she recognized the future queen inside Audrey and realized the manipulative ways of the fae. So she helped build up her confidence for her inevitable future against Mal, who she didn't doubt would come knocking on the country's door for a favor and use her time under the scepter as leverage against her..._

_Which exactly what happened when Mal asked her to be a bridesmaid! Nevermind the fact Audrey worked to fix and ultimately recreate the image she made for herself since she was the "Queen of Mean". The princess had to learn to forgive herself for a lot of things: Nearly destroying the queen's crown, falling into the scepter's thrall, Jane's party, and the Sleeping Curse and...using Ben's biggest fear against him and turning him into a beast_ _. Despite everything and all the pain she went through, Audrey was still in love with Ben. She hated thinking back to her evil phase and realizing just how much she stood to use against him, things he told her in private, to hurt him the most. And in the end, he was the one apologizing! He pulled her aside hours before his own engagement party to sincerely apologize for his own insensitivity and role in her turning evil. It had maybe too little too late, but it was more than she'd gotten or deserved. But the same can't be said for Mal who said she owes her an apology, then left her to discover her diary filled with commentary and an apology she couldn't say to her face. It actually made her believe Ben wanted her at the party for reconciliation while Mal had her there to show goodwill while making an example out of her for her rule. It made Audrey feel torn some days on whether or not burning her diary with the truth of Mal's so-called crush on Ben was worth it._

_But Mal, the future bride, coming all that way to Auroria was not something she could take lightly._ _Mal had gotten a bit better at weaving words together, but Audrey had been trained to do so since she could walk and knew when she was being manipulated into something. By the end of the day, Audrey owed Mal for saving her life and, subsequently, Auradon itself. Even if it was well-meaning, Mal was coming to cash in on a life-debt and it would be the hardest thing to decide. So, in the end, Audrey agreed (and both her grandmother Uma gave her an earful over it.)_

_The preparations for the incoming wedding day, Audrey had to admit, were going splendidly with Evie running the show. The wedding ceremony will take place at the Auradon Cathedral (the irony of why wasn't lost on her) while the wedding reception would be at Beast Castle,_ _the overall color theme was yellow and purple with a tinge of blue, the flowers were the same colors and luckily almost everyone knew each other to save the hassle. Evie was more than considerate of their schedules and where and when a bridesmaid or a groomsman would appear and make it to a party, what events were necessary to attend to and which were skipped. Since Jane had already planned the cotillion (or more like finished off what Audrey had long prepared back when she was dating Ben), she decided to back down as Evie's go-to person and nominated Audrey as her back-up command, which she accepted. It was a unique bonding experience for the two since they mostly met at galas or for projects on the Isle and the princess found herself appreciating the work ethic the blunette put into the royal wedding details despite already having so much to do between her fashion empire and noble duties. She couldn't stop the delightful expression on her face when she saw the_ _mix of nobles and Isle children filling in the spots such as_ _the Smee twins as the ring bearers,_ _junior bridesmaids/groomsmen along with the flower girls, pages, and givers of the wedding program right as Queen Belle attends to the guest book, Yen Sid as the Reader and lastly, Fairy Godmother as the Officiant._

_But that's not to say there weren't any problems. The first was pointed out by the wedding planner that as Audrey was a princess while Evie was a Lady, the former outranking her, she shouldn't have to walk behind Evie even though she was the Maid of Honor. This resulted in a quick but vicious argument that ended when Audrey had to put her foot down and says she's fine as a bridesmaid, especially if the Future Queen of Auradon wants her to be._

_The next issue, which irked Audrey, wasn't much of an issue but more of an inward complaint regarding the wedding cake. Of course, bridesmaids didn't have to attend the cake tasting and she enjoyed the taste of cloudberries with zepherian vanilla beans imported off the coast from below Mount Olympus, but it was the design of the cake that Audrey disliked. It was beautiful, and she heard the story behind it (back when Ben was love-spelled by Ben), but that was it. It was the strawberry and roses that made her complain a bit. One could rationalize the roses as being a representation of King Ben, but that was the overall point: There was no Ben. This was all Mal's cake with her interest in everything else, excluding the king. The lack of Ben's favorite desserts (chocolate, raspberries, cheese creme) was nowhere near present! She had sent a text to Jay to forward to Ben only to get answered that Ben let Mal choose the cake! A_ _nd the last one was the last straw before Lonnie and Jane calmed her down: The bridesmaid dresses. This was the best and worst part of the wedding planning in which she dreaded. Since the wedding would undoubtedly be live-streamed on all social media networks and broadcasted by Auradon News Network, the stereotypical "ugly bridesmaid dress" should have been tossed out the window if Mal ever suggested it. But then again, she underestimated the bond she had with Evie. The design was what Mal was originally supposed to wear to the cotillion (before she revamp it and Mal transformed it into a purple ballgown) and Mal suggested using it as a means to reusing the design without all the hassle of thinking of newer ones. The dress was of a long, silky, bright yellow fabric with a yellowish-gold and glittering tulle layered at the bottom while the lace embroidered was pinkish-purple trimming along with the bottom skirt and a dragon's head embroidered on the semi-heartshaped bodice finished with a pinkish-purple ribbon around the waist. It was a mix of royal beauty that only Evie could muster with the internal ugliness only Mal was capable of! The yellow would have gone better with royal blue! The dress itself was enough to nearly cause Audrey to drop out of the wedding if she wasn't tempered down and realized how deep she was into this._

_And it didn't help when Mal's dress was revealed. It reminded Audrey a bit of a purple galaxy with flowing satin and shimmering chiffon along with white silk on the inside. If Mal's purpose was to have the bridesmaids look ugly while her own potentially ugly dress was the show stealer...maybe Audrey could live with it_. _.. she **could've** if it wasn't for the fact her ash-blonde hair clashed with the dress! If she was going to look hideous in her dress, she was going to be as natural-looking as she could! Looking back, the coloring was a terrible idea (how could she'd thought THAT would have won Ben over!?) and she dropped the colorful streaks shortly after the engagement party_.

_So, Audrey set out to the royal hairdresser to get the dye removed...only things got weird. The blonde dye came out perfectly...but instead of dark brown, Audrey's natural dark locks fused with bright magenta streaks flowing down her hair! The minute the nervous hairdresser gave her a mirror, she screeched! She immediately called her fairy grandmothers to fix this, but when even that failed, she called Evie! One text, one photo, and the blunette took the first train down to Auroria as fast as she could! But even a miracle worker like her couldn't fix Audrey's (admittedly good) hair color. But, she did have a theory on what it was:_

_A leftover parting gift from the Queen of Mean herself._

* * *

_A week before the wedding, Evie had the brilliant idea of throwing a lowkey pre-wedding welcome party for all the royals who could attend the wedding, ambassadors attending in place of the royals who couldn't, celebrities, nobles, and a few close friends that came from all the kingdoms gathered at Auradon Prep before the inevitable Bachelor/Bachelorette weekend and wedding rehearsal. Evie and Doug had to include various dishes to compliment each person visiting, involving games and a chocolate fountain while opening a mini bar for a cocktail hour that (hopefully) didn't get anyone too intoxicated. It vaguely resembled Family Day without any disasters._

_So imagine the number of jaws dropped when Her Royal Highness, Princess Audrey was announced to the party with her pink hair swept into an elegant, partial updo decorated with pink roses and pearl pins and wore a beautiful, long blush pink dress with see-through sleeves made of chiffon, tulle and 3D roses embroidered onto the skirt that was lightly scented from the rose oil from Audrey's gown completed with rose gold heels._ _Audrey had asked Evie to keep this a secret since the last time she wore pink hair, she nearly destroyed the Kingdom of Auradon. If she was going to go back out into public with pink hair, even if it was different from before, she had to time it right! So she holed herself in her home while opting to have a simple yet beautiful dress designed for her to wear to the party as a "coming out" of sorts._

_The results were a success! While not taking off the attention from the soon-to-be happy couple, Audrey was approached by various individuals and also took the moment to intermingle with friends she hadn't seen in a while. Jay had been staying with Prince Aziz and the royal family of Agrabah since before Ben asked the two to be his groomsmen. From the way Jay puts it: Aladdin took one look at him and tried to adopt him when they first met. Like Lonnie, he was also a professional player for a R.O.A.R. team (The Royal Thieves) and spent a good portion of time mentoring at The Royal Academy. And speaking of Lonnie, she still plays for the Great Wall but also has decided to work part-time coaching the R.O.A.R. team at the Imperial Academy (Jay dubs her a traitor). Carlos De Vil was attending college and took classes in engineering and biology while volunteering part-time at an animal shelter. Sadly, Dude had passed away and after making amends with the Radcliffes, he was the owner of a dalmatian puppy named Spotty. Jane had taken a gap year, unsure of what she wanted to do until ultimately deciding to be one of the royal advisors and her mother's protege. Doug continues to help at Evie's workplace but is considering taking his uncle's spot on the council to find better resolutions for the mines, also Audrey suspects he's considering proposing to Evie if his lovestruck gazes are anything to go by! And surprisingly, Chad grew up a lot while she was busy. Even though he's long forgiven her for her cruelty under the scepter, he still took the initiative to see a therapist that revealed a lot of issues he knew (and didn't knew) he had. He'd also taken to being an affectionate older brother to his step-cousin, Dizzy Tremaine, who had grown fond of him and became a pillar of support to him as he learns more of his royal duties._

_Feeling her initial anxiety die down as she welcomed the tender embrace of affection of friendship from her peers felt like a rejuvenating breath of fresh air she hadn't known she needed._

_And with that, she did her best to suppress a pleasant smile spreading on her face when she felt the envious gaze following her from the bride-to-be._

* * *

_Then came the Bachelorette weekend._

_To save time and make the weekend more joyous, Evie and Mal joint decided to merge the belated bridal shower with the bachelorette party, which made sense. Packing her bags with the help of her Lady-In-Waiting, her cousin, Lady Ariana Rose Beauregard, Audrey took a train ride to Auradon Capital, where she and the rest of the bridal party (plus Queen Belle and Fairy Godmother since the majority wasn't 21 yet) met up before getting in Mal's purple limo and rode away to the destination of the weekend: Maledonia, home to King Naveen and Queen Tiana._

_Maledonia was at the edge of the coastal region of Towering Heights ruled by the royal family and a beloved destination for tourists, royals, and commoners alike. The language was a mix of English, French, French Creole, Maldaquesh, a hint of Italian, Maldonian, and Maldonian Creole. It was a mixture of southern and coastal comfort that reminded Audrey of home in the smallest ways. It was also well known for the shopping districts, food, Madi Gras parades, clubs, art, hurricanes, and subsequential Voodoo Magic. That itself caused Audrey to make a mental note about meeting up with the Facilier sisters and an old teammate living in the Bayou._

_Evie had booked a few places to throw off the paparazzi, but ultimately the party was staying in a beautiful, white two-story house in the Garden District, Doux Magnolias (Sweet Magnolias). From there, the schedule was to relax because of the 11-12 hour drive before meeting with the royal family at Her Royal Majesty's infamous restaurant, Tiana's Place. Then, the next day would be spent going out to the Uptown District for shopping and a spa day, then the Arts districts for music, art galleries paint and (very limited) wine tasting, all before getting dressed and wearing yellow and purple bridal party stashes and heading to the port where a rented steamboat awaited for the for a night of partying, dancing and gift exchanging for the evening bridal shower._ _And speaking of partying, Audrey suspected someone would put something in the drinks because Belle and Fairy Godmother were tipsier than the rest of the group!_

 _When it came to the gift exchange, they were surprisingly simple. Evie gave her a dark purple pajama set with a matching nightgown for the "special night", Lonnie gave her an Ink Wash painting set all the way from the Northern Wei, Jane gave a personalized stationery set, Fairy Godmother bestowed upon her a dragon-shaped bracelet with a protection charm and Audrey...Audrey had a hard time picking out the gift, but in the end, she chose a glass vase and a scrapbook for the couple to document their first year together._ _It was a bit nerve-wracking since she seriously considered giving her and Ben a golden-engraved cake knife set, but decided against it._

_If Audrey gave herself a moment to reflect, the weekend was...fun. "Enjoyable" is a better word for it. Despite most of the afternoon was stuff Mal liked, Evie did a good job ensuring everyone had a good time._

_If only Audrey didn't have a sinking feeling when everyone returned to the house and caught Belle sneaking into Mal's room with a small present in hand._

* * *

_And_ _the_ _n, the big day arrived._ _The Royal Wedding of His Majesty, Benjamin Florian Beauchamp to Lady Maleficent Bertha de Fae_.

_The day before, Audrey arrived at the capital and was driven to a nearby villa on the outskirts of town. From there, she was greeted by Evie, who was in a hurry to get things ready for the wedding day in less than 24 hours. The itinerary was: To nap, eat healthy meals, use the bathroom as frequently a possible before the wedding, help Mal relax to avoid becoming a runaway bride, check and make sure each dress, shoes, and accessory (including the bride's outfit) is all done and ready for, do a trial run for hair and makeup (which Evie had to do twice when Audrey'snew hair clashed with her originally planned hairstyle), drink water, mini spas to relax and whole lotta stuff that Evie asked Fairy Godmother to step in when it came with dealing with the vendors! Not to mention the bouquets needed to be in check._

_But alas, things HAD to go wrong when the day arrived! Two rips in the bridal dresses, Jane got a stomach sickness and promptly vomited on her bridesmaid dress, the bouquets went missing, Mal's veil was nowhere to be seen, one of the vendors was threatening to leave when it was refused their competitor was ALSO working in the wedding, the juniors made a mess of certain decorations, Jay arrived with the infamous pre-wedding letter and Mal had to rush to write hers, at least 3 pairs of shoes broke, Mal tried to change her agreed-upon hairstyle at the last minute, there was a small rumor that Ben was missing (luckily escalated) and finally, the blushing bride ran off somewhere!_

_Audrey had never been more thankful that Uma gifted her a flask full of alcohol for such an occasion._

_However, a visit from Queen Belle might've saved the day. She located the lost bouquets and veil, found Mal taking a breather on the other side of the villa, dealt with the competing vendors swiftly with threats of being replaced, and brought medicine to help Jane feel better, had foreseen the incident with the wedding decorations and readily had them replaced while sending the juniors on small errands to keep them busy, and had the roads cleared so there would be no delay on the road._

_It was at times like this she remembered why she fought so hard for Belle's approval._

_Then came time for getting Mal dressed, hair and makeup set up in a low bun with dark mascara and light lipstick to set in. The veil looked admittingly flawless after the dress was placed on her. For the famous "Something Old" tradition, Queen Belle revealed what Audrey had long suspected since that last night in Towering Heights, a pair of golden, dangling earrings from her first dance with King Adam during his Beast days to be both her "Something Borrowed" "Something Old"; Mal, with Evie's help, created a crown to go with her veil as her "Something New", her "Something Blue" was a small bracelet made from one of Ben's sashes and Evie put a silver coin blessed by Fairy Godmother inside the sole of her shoe for good luck._

_Looking at the blushing bride all dressed up, suddenly Mal actually looked beautiful and fit for a bride with all her bridal party ready to attend to her._

_When the time came, everyone was ushered into Mal purple limo with various guards driving around them for security measures as they drove the route to the cathedral._

_Everything after that was a blur for Audrey. It was a flurry of images that followed her from the second she stepped out of that limo. She remembered feeling the waves of nervous anticipation and anxiety of seeing the building filled with various guests and citizens, even overflowing to outside the main entrance. Colored in yellow and purple, banners hung from the ceiling with banners representing the Beauchamps' Enchanted Rose with Mal's Duel Dragons motifs. The pews were lined with soft satin and chiffon ribbons of the wedding colors. It was an eyesore, but Evie managed to get enough input with the couple so the colors didn't clash badly. To at least make the entire affair feel intimate, it was decreed that no paparazzi with cameras are to be allowed inside the building during the nuptials, neverminding the cameras all over courtesy of Snow White Auradon News Network. The entire nation was watching and it was just starting to sink in for Audrey just what was about to happen._

_When all was settled, the wedding march began. Performed by the royal orchestra, Audrey gazes as Fairy Godmother, dressed in fairy blues and formal, seemingly glided down the alter first as the officiant of the ceremony. Behind her was followed by Merlin, who would be doing a reading and let out small fireworks for the occasion. Next went Former King Adam and Queen Belle dressed in slightly muted blue and yellow attire but still looking as magnificent as a monarch should as royals and parents of the groom._

_And right behind them was Ben. All dressed in his double-breast navy suit with a purple rose gently tucked into in breast pocket. He excused nervous confidence in the way only Audrey knew he could as he walked down the aisle to his future._

_And next was the groomsmen and bridesmaids. It started with the juniors, Dizzy Tremaine, and the first walking down with a young noble who was on his best behavior, with Celia Facilier right behind her with her junior groomsman. Soon, it was Prince Aziz and Lonnie, then Prince Chad and Jane, and lastly, Jay and Princess Audrey to finish as the last of the groomsmen-bridesmaids. Audrey had to keep her head up as she heard whispers of the unique choice to pair her with a VK rather than a prince (especially one who was a friend) along with her new hair and the surprisingly thoughtful comments of her looking like a blushing bride despite it not being her wedding._

_And she raised eyebrows upon hearing something similar when Lady Evie and Doug Bergmann, the respecting and acting Maid of Honor and Best Man._

_After the Smee twins came walking down the Isle as the perspective ring bearers, their hair finally getting decent haircuts and well dressed, were followed by the mix of Auradon and Isle kids walking down the Isle along with the flower girls._

_And then, at long last...Mal came slowly down the aisle. Her body swaying as the brief, yet slower instrumental of "Did I Mention" slowly played as she slowly walked towards Ben. Clenching tightly to her bouquet of Lavender Rose, magenta lilac, dragonsnaps, purple orchids, and fern, Mal chose to go ahead with her decision to give herself away since her mother was still a lizard and though she was reconciling with Hades, wasn't close enough to ask him to walk beside her._

_She was beautiful and Audrey couldn't help the envy that came watching Ben stare at her in awe as if he was falling in love with her all over again._

_And maybe he was._

_Once Mal got to the altar, Audrey couldn't help but peek at Ben's expression at his veiled bride._

_Fairy Godmother in a joyous, but no-nonsense attitude, began the_ _ceremony with opening remarks. After inviting Merlin up as the ceremonial reader to read a lengthy yet refreshing poem, Fairy Godmother took over and began addressing the couple if their responsibility in marriage and then, inevitably, asked if anyone should speak now or forever hold their peace._

_(And to this day, Audrey could still swear on the feelings, even without her bracelet, that all eyes sharpened towards her.)_

_But when no one spoke up, Fairy Godmother continued right up to the vows. She started with Ben, who looked so breathless he struggled to form a sentence._

_"I_ _..Uh.._ _." Ben shutters._

_Mal quirked an eyebrow and smirked. "Wow. Speechless already, huh?_ "

_Laughter could be heard throughout the audience at this._

_Been chuckled. "You'll always be breathtaking, Mal. I must admit, I kinda lost a lot of sleep writing and rewriting this, and I've had this for months. But I was advised to speak what I know: The heart. And my heart helps me clear a few things. I know that life with you won't ever be easy, but I also know without you, it wouldn't be worth living. There's never a dull moment with you by my side. I know we've had our ups and downs, have both hurt each other because of our differences, but I want to keep growing and learning with you. I know we have our strengths and weaknesses, maybe more that we still haven't figured out yet, but I want us to discover them as partners in crime, best friends, and as the love of my life. I want to take you to places you've never been to, show you a life of pure happiness that you deserve. I promise I will build a love and a kingdom on the promise nothing bad can happen, nothing that can't be endured and conquered, as long as we're together. This is my promise. My promise to be your loving husband, king, greatest supporter, and future father to our kids for the rest of my life. I'm in love with you, Mal, and that will never change, wither or die for so long as I live._ "

_Aw's could be heard through the audience._

_Mal chuckled and blushed. "Wow, that's kind of a mouthful. I knew you loved me, but I sometimes forget you love me this much. I will admit, I had no idea what I was going to say. I had months, and none of the words I thought in my head could even elevate what I feel for you. You're right: I'm not easy to deal with, I have hurt you, and cried over you, but I knew in the end that everything would work out as it's supposed to. I want everything you're promising just as bad as you do. I want it so much I'm willing to do anything to get it. I promise to be a good Queen, wife, best friend, and loving mother to any children we have together. And I promise to love you, Ben Florian. Forever, as long as it lasts."_

_After that, Audrey didn't know how she managed to get through the entire ceremony in one piece, but from the moments the vows were said, the happy couple said "I Do", and watching Ben lift Mal's veil to kiss her, it finally sunk in for the princess._

_Ben's heart now solely and only belonged to Mal._

_(And Audrey removed her bracelet the minute she got away from the reception.)_

* * *

_"Lady Mal, is your majesty willing to take the oath?"_

_"I am willing."_

_"Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the People of the United Kingdom of Auradon and your Possessions and the other Territories to any of them belonging or pertaining, according to their respective laws and customs?"_

_"I solemnly promise so to do."_

_"Will you to your power cause Law and Justice, in Mercy, to be executed in all your judgments?"_

_"I will."_

_"Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the Laws of the Gods and the true profession of the Gospel? Will you to the utmost of your power maintain in the United Kingdoms of the 19 Regions established by law? Will you maintain and preserve inviolably the settlement of the Church of Auradon, and the doctrine, worship, discipline, and government thereof, as by law established in Auradon? And will you preserve unto the Bishops and Clergy of Auradon, and to the Churches there committed to their charge, all such rights, and privileges, as by law do or shall appertain to them or any of them?"_

_"All, I will promise to do."_

_"The things which I have here promised before I stand, I will perform and keep. So help me Gods, Goddesses, and smallfolk alike."_

_This was the exchange Audrey and the rest of the royal family of Auroria witnessed 6 months after the royal wedding when they were formally invited to gather at the cathedral once again where Fairy Godmother and now Former Queen Belle passed on the Queen's Crown to now Her Royal Majesty, Queen Consort Mal. Berthe de Fae- Beauchamp_

* * *

_3 months later, Queen Mother Leah passed away in her sleep at the Honeymoon Cottage, surrounded by loyal servants, her daughter, her son-in-law, and a grief-stricken granddaughter._

_Thousands flocked to the streets and watched from their homes as the funeral procession as the soldiers surrounded the flowery horse-drawn carriage carrying the late queen's coffin. Walking behind the coffin was the Queen and King of Auroria, followed by Princess Audrey, dressed clad in black, the same with the three fairy godmother behind them, who clouded the sky and created beads of light that reflected the Aurorian colors as the royal family and soldiers laid Queen Mother Leah to rest at Auroria Priory._

_That night, the three mourning fairies castes a spell that created an Aurora Borealis that reflected across the night sky as mourning music played throughout the night._

* * *

_A month later, Princess Audrey Rose became Queen Regnant_ _Audrea Rose Auger Beauregard of Auroria._

_Dressed in a voluminous, chiffon rose crepe dress decorated with pink and burgundy roses from bodice to skirt, hair was done up in elegant, elaborate braids half-up and swept down, covered by a royal robe lined with fur, silk and enchanted to reflect off the colors of the Northern Lights, Audrey wore her mother's princess crown and necklace as she was followed down the aisle of the throne room by her Lady-in-Waiting, Ariana Rose._

_Gracing her father's sword in one hand and a white opal orb in another, along with her coronation ring, Audrey stood and bowed before her parents as she was anointed and her tiara was replaced with the royal Queen's Crown decorated with opal, white and blue diamonds, and rose-red jewels._

_Newly crowned and sworn in, she became Her Royal Majesty, Queen Audrea of Auroria, the Rose Queen._

* * *

_ But from there, that is when things changed _ _, Audrey's thoughts darkened as she raced her horse through the night._

_If the queen had to think of it, it all happened gradually. After her coronation, she was in charge of nearly everything, and even with her parents and the fairies' guidance, she still had issues establishing her court. Some mistrusted her still, others wanted to use her age against her, most wanted to take advantage of her._

_Being evil once may have tanked her reputation, but it brought forth a sense of confidence that made batting away the nobles against her feel like she was batting an eye. Between many stages of her life, she was trained for the role thrusts upon her._

_So when small skirmishes began happening across the land, they were easily diminished or resolved peacefully in their respective regions. Next was disobedience amongst the civilians who were refusing to pay taxes or rebelled because of various reasons. Next, there was actually happenstance when the nobles themselves started rebelling against those royals they lived under. Businesses were being threatened and destroyed and anyone with ties to someone from the Isle, or originated from thee, were being harassed. Lastly, there were signs of a famine threatening the country when food sources had found themselves diminished or poisoned. This took a grand effort in organizing and pulling out all the trades. Audrey lived up to her title when she mass-produced rose jams and other preserves across the kingdom to places going without fruits and vegetables, especially in places like Agrabah, East Riding, the Summerlands, and surprising Auradon Capital._

_Which wouldn't have felt so bad if a skirmish between the two queens involving the possibility of marrying future children as a "Thank You" didn't rattle the Rose Queen so hard! As if the girl hidden behind the Rose Queen wanted to scream at the very idea of arranged marriages, especially her own to the hypothetical child of the man she still loved and the fae she loathes inwardly._

_But it didn't stop there. More rebellions broke out and the soldiers started being spread wide to various towns and cities to handle the chaos. And speaking of the soldiers, Audrey had to do various background checks, especially of her personal guards. During a public outing, she had come close to a brush with death when an arrow was shot at her - narrowly missing her head by an inch had she not turned away at the right moment - from a rooftop! Adding the fact that she was on live television, the media had a field day while she was rushed away to safety. But after that, peculiar things started happening, ones that could have been ruled off as accidents if King Philip's paranoia for her safety wasn't making her nervous. And then when riots started breaking out in her region, she knew she needed help._

_So, she called up upon Uma via a magic seashell the latter enchanted for situations just as this. After that near assassination attempt, Uma was concerned for her safety and LIVID at whoever tried to kill her. Audrey had had her suspicions, but Uma had confirmed it: Someone was orchestrating uprisings all over Auradon and aiming for the nobles. Her crew had grown exponentially over the years and Uma was living up her reputation as Captain at ensuring she didn't have any loose ends messing with her operation. Before, being a part of Uma's crew was a refuge, and while it still was, Uma entrusted Audrey of the knowledge she had been secretly constructing a secret navy of her own._

_Something was about to go down and Uma's spy network was confirming it. They called themselves the " **Warriors of the Forgotten"** , who felt Auradon was a lie upon itself, that nobles have gotten away with too much (being Evil under the guise of Good, letting villains back into the country unchecked, corruption, unlawful labor, and disregard for the environment, etc.). In conclusion, the nobles are the villains and are colluding with the ones formerly off the isle to bring Auradon to the Dark Ages. They also took credit for Audrey's near-assassination attempt._

_Uma had people on the inside trying to infiltrate and discover the identity of their leader, but she had no luck. Whoever it was is just as cautious as her...and knows how to ring in the people. Lower and middle-class citizens are already joining their ideals that the nobles have done nothing but bring trouble to their doorsteps and are trying to join their cause or support them. Uma's convinced this leader must have ties to the Isle because the way people are turning against each other was EXACTLY like how things worked back before the barrier came down!_

_Looking back, Uma was right about that. It was someone from the Isle, but shares close ties with Auradon. Uma had warned her to be wary of "eels in her mist"._

_So when the Warriors got quiet, everyone was walking on eggshells. Audrey hated it! That there was a traitor among her court and she didn't know who! She only had a few people in her inner circle and she hated being paranoid. She had to remove her bracelet a few times and put it back on because she felt tensions were slipping through._

_But then everything came crashing down tonight: The night of Ben and Mal's wedding anniversary._

_Audrey wasn't sure whose idea it was (her money's on Adam), but there was a small royal party being hosted to honor the royal couple and distract from the dark tension surrounded by radio-silent Warriors. The royal couples were still beloved and invited friends and family to attend the gathering at Beast Castle._

_But the Rose Queen opted out of going. It didn't feel right to leave Auroria and travel when domestic terrorists could strike at any moment!_

_The night had started so calmly. She had been walking out of her office after spending all day working o documents and treaties (and maybe going through all the personal backgrounds of the nobles in her court). Because of her father, she was accompanied by guards as she walked down the hallway to her bedroom. She bathed, put on her nightgown, turned off the lights, and went to bed._

_It should have been as simple as that._

_It would have...if she didn't feel a deep flash of malicious intent above, causing her to reach for the dagger under her pillow and dodge right as a knife embedded itself right next to where she laid moments before! Audrey drew her dagger and slashed at her attacker, eliciting a scream as she moved off the bed._

_"Who are you!? GUARDS! GUARDS!" Audrey yelled, keeping an eye on her attacker. The lamps were on the other side of the room and the only source of light she had was from her window and that was enough to know her attacker was concealed in dark clothing as they brandished their knife at her._

_"All flowers wither and die and that must be no exception for the Rose Queen!" her assailant growled before charging and taking another swing at her. Her head guard had prepared her a little in knife fighting, but she had to get out of there! Audrey dodged the swipe and backstopped before taking a swing at her attacker before ducking and stabbing them in the side. She must have hit one of the main organs because she pulled out her dagger and blood came pouring out, splashing at her and staining her gown._

_Her attacker screamed and grabbed his side, dropping their knife, giving her enough time to jump on their back and dig her dagger into the side of their throat where Audrey hit the larynx before moving and severing the carotid and jugular arteries. Her attacker grabbed her from the back of her head and threw her entire body off, but that only worsens the life-ending wound before he dropped dead._

_Audrey felt all her nerves beginning to tense up at the fact she just killed someone, but she did her best not to dwell on that as she turned on the lights to see her attacker and gasped._

_It was Asher, one of the few members of her personal guards!_

_He was supposed to be guarding her door with someone else and if he came in...Audrey tried not to look directly at her bedroom door but at the bottom of it where she saw a pool of blood flowing in from the outside._

_Not even wanting to chance walking outside her room, Audrey went and pushed her nearby dresser to block the door. Then, she put on some boots and her dark frock coat - curtesy of Gil - before pocketing her dagger Asher's knife and grabbing Uma's seashell. She opened her bedroom window and nearly recoiled at the screams and shouts reverberating across the kingdom as Audrey took in the chaos outside. There were fires all over, the sounds of swords clashing against another, a brief explosion she shuddered to locate, and the gut-wrenching squeals of people beating beaten, or worse right at her front door._

_Audrey shook her head. She needed to focus. Slowly, she climbed out the window and onto the ledges, grasping tightly as she slowly maneuvered her way own to her office, where she knew was an escape route hidden away and only royal family members was aware of. By the time she got there, she'd just thank her lucky stars that she opened the window that morning and shimmied her way in. The state of her office was atrocious. Papers littered the floor, furniture was overturned, and books were spread all over. Audrey had a gist someone was looking for the secret passageway and assumed it was behind one of the bookshelves._

_Not a bad thought, but completely unoriginal._

_Audrey crouched down and pushed the clutter aside as she felt around the floor until she pulled pack a panel that blended in entirely to reveal a vent large enough to fit a grown man, or in this case, a queen. She slid in and covered up the opening before clawing down until she hit a slope and found herself sliding down and out a hole that led to the royal stables. Once she got up, she exited one of the stables and nearly fell back._

_The stable was littered with bodies. Some bearing the royal sigil, meaning the guards, others in dark clothes, likely a part of the group Asher was in leagues with. Audrey pulled out her seashell and called Uma as she went looking for her horse, Amaryllis. She needed to get out of here._

_It didn't take long before Uma answered. It came out distorted and, ironically, as if it was coming from out of water._

_" **AUDREY**!"_

_"Uma, you are a sight for sore eyes! Or, ears! Whatever! What is going on!? My kingdom is under attack, I have no idea where my family is, and one of my own personal guards tried to kill me!" she whispered harshly as she went through the stalls_

**_"WHAT?! DAMN IT! I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE EXTRACTED YOU AS SOON AS YESTERDAY!"_ **

_"What? Yesterday? You knew this was going to happen!?"_

**_"NO! I KNEW IT WAS GOING DOWN BUT NOT WHAT! AND HONESTLY, IT'S INGENIOUS!"_ **

_"Uma, I really don't understand."_

**_"OR YOU DO AND YOU JUST DON't WANT TO ADMIT IT! WHO WOULD DARE TO TARGET A ROYAL FAMILY ON THEIR OWN TURF! ESPECIALLY IN THEIR OWN HOME! WITH PEOPLE THEY TRUSTED!?"_ **

_That caused Audrey to stop in her tracks. The unofficial Queen of the Isle was right. Who else would go this far to kill her except-_

_"The Warriors."_

_She heard Uma take a deep breath. " **YES. THIS WAS ALL SET UP SO BEAUTIFULLY THAT IF I WAS A TRUE VILLAIN I WOULD CRY! TARGETING A ROYAL IN HER OWN TURF, INFILTRATING THE CASTLE, HER OWN PERSONAL GUARDS!? THIS IS A COUP AND ANY NOBILITY IS ABOUT TO GET THEIR HEAD SERVED ON A SILVER PLATTER."**_

_The confirmation brought no joy to her ears. But dread did. She might be lucky since she chose to stay home but, if this is happening here, what does that say for the rest of-_

_Audrey's eyes widened in shock as she dropped her seashell._

_The Aniversary Party! If you wanted to catch a bunch of high-ranking nobles and royals off guard, and even on the chance some had become traitors just like Asher then...!_

_Audrey picked up the shell. "Uma! I'm heading to Auradon Capital!"_

**_"WHAT! ARE YOU INSANE!? AUDREY, YOU NEED TO GET YOUR ASS OUT OF THEIR AND MAKE IT TO GOODLY POINT! I HAVE A SHIP SENT OUT THERE AS FAST AS I CAN AND GET YOU TO SAFETY BECAUSE, IF THE WARRIORS HAVE MADE THEIR MOVE AND YOU MIGHT BE ONE OF THE FEW, IF NOT ONLY, ROYALS LEFT ALIVE BY DAYBREAK! GET TO THE COAST, YOUR HIGHNESS, AND LIVE TO SEE ANOTHER DAY!"_ **

_Before Audrey could get another word in, Uma hung up and the connection was lost. Uma was right. If the Warriors planned such a long-awaited attack, surviving another day for herself and her people was her priority. She was the Rose Queen and roses had thorns for a reason..._

_So when Audrey finally found Amaryllis, who was amongst one of the few surviving steeds putting up a fight against those who were not her rider, the queen mounted her and rode off into the night, narrowly escaping captures of the Warriors who spotted her by her own skills and by those surviving knights who remained loyal to her to the death._

_But she didn't head to the coast, to Goodly Point, where she had no doubt Uma's ship was awaiting her._

_Audrey headed towards Auradon Capital, the possible hornets' nest for trouble with a dozen targets on the backs of the upper-class and monarchies._

* * *

_The ride on a horse without a saddle was unpleasant but not what was on Audrey's mind._

_The horrific sights she'd seen on the ride over were forever seared into her memories. The burnt fields, the murdered people, the blood, the wrathful energy of the atmosphere, it was enough to drive a person mad! It had started to rain, and it made everything smell much more pungent._

_But when Audrey reached the capital, she found herself seeing the true face of Evil._

_The entire capital had been celebrating the royal anniversary. There were stalls, banners, decorations, posters, everything fit to celebrate the bond between royals and the citizens who thrived under them. Colors of purple and yellow littered the streets without care and Audrey could tell it might have once been merry._

_Once..._

_Once Amaryllis slowed down, Audrey reigned the horse to slowly walk throughout the city._

_It was a massacre. A burning, raining, bloody massacre. The streets were filled with fires destroyed stalls and decorations. Stores were destroyed and looted. Cars were set aflame or moved in various positions as if someone tried to block something out. She recognized the regional guards tasked with protecting Auradon and more and looked away at some of the lifeless bodies that were scattered amongst the civilians tragically lost in the crossfire. And to make it all worse, the streets were empty. Not a sound whispered, a scream echoing, a small plea from anybody who survived. There were no lights on aside from the fires, crackling and popping as she rode by and making her weary as if she was being watched. She carefully maneuvered the horse to not step on anyone as they made their way towards Beast Castle._

_When they arrived, Audrey's eyes widened in horror and she covered her mouth to stop herself from screaming._

_There were obvious signs of a struggle, the royal knights clashing with the insurgents before the fronts doors of the castle looked barged through, showing successful invasion. Audrey carefully climbed off her horse, having the vague feeling no one would try to steal her, as she toed her way through the piles of lifeless limbs and made her way into the castle._ _The bloody trails of bodies were neverending._ _The hair was raised on the back of her neck and she jumped at the tiniest of noises._ _At some point, Audrey picked up a sword of one of the fallen, paying no mind as to what side it belonged to as there was no point in anyone else keeping it. Portraits were slashed at or stained with colors that would never come out. Audrey briefly wondered if magic could fix this until she realized that she had no idea about the whereabouts of Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather._

_She decided to ignore it._

_When Audrey finally made it to the ballroom, she realized that what she had seen before was nothing on what was viewed before her._

_Everyone is dead._

_Adam, Belle, Fairy Godmother, Jane, Carlos, Lonnie, Evie, Chad...everyone was gone._

_But there was no sign of Ben or Mal. That was good, right?_

_Audrey began to leave until she heard a groan from her right. Raising her sword, she walked towards the wall where it came from and then abruptly dropped it in shock when she realized it was Jay...and he was badly injured._

_"J-JAY!" Audrey screamed as she ran towards him. He was propped up against the wall and weakly holding his side, having lost tones of blood if the size stain in his clothes suggested._

_Jay weakly fluttered his eyes, barely bringing himself to consciousness until Audrey brought life not him with her touch. His eyes opened again and he was fully able to take in his surroundings. And with that, he groaned in pain at the sword wound that was now beginning to dull. He was also able to take in the view of one of the few royals who was NOT present at the part and how much blood she was covered in._

_"Audrey..." he uttered breathlessly as he scanned her for any wounds._

_Audrey looked down at her attire, knowing what he was thinking. "I wasn't hurt, Jay."_

_"G-good," he replied, groaning again and Audrey helped him against the wall to straighten him. "Am I a horrible person for being glad...glad you didn't see this?"_

_Audrey shook her head. "No, but I wouldn't say I missed anything. Whatever happened here also took place in Auroria. It was the Warriors. They nearly got me too. I was nearly stabbed to death in my bed."_

_She raised her head to hold back the tears that were at long last falling from her eyes. Jay growled bitterly._

_"Please tell_ _me you killed that bastard," he asked, small hints of rage behind his eyes._

_"Don't worry, I slit his throat," she grinned tearily._

_Jay choked out a laugh. "That's my girl."_

_"I learned from the best," Audrey grinned sadly. "I...I-"_

_"We had a traitor. One of the nobles quickly learned what it meant to be used and double-crossed. He let them in from a secret passage while the knights were fighting outside." Jay let out a sharp intake of breath and coughed up blood, dark red staining his lips which Audrey ripped a piece of her gown off to clean up. "It...It was an unfair match, to begin with: The first victims were nobles and servants, those who had no magic nor fighting skills. The next were those who did possess magic but didn't know how to use it (nor knew any fighting magic), leaving the last to be finished off by those who knew how to fight but the insurgents outnumbered them and it was all over."_

_Audrey didn't have to ask him to elaborate on who's who. She knew a few descent swordsmen and swordswomen. Jay and Lonnie, among Ben and Chad, were one of them. Anyone else was lambs to the slaughter._

_"Mal turned into a dragon and tried to fight them also. It w-would have been a victory until someone brought out a crossbow and hit her with it. It must've been depowered with something heavy because Mal was down instantly. Been rushed to her and..."_

_Jay's eyes started to drop and Audrey touched him again. "Jay? Jay! What happened? Where are Ben and Mal?"_

_Audrey's effect brought him back, but his breathing was getting shallower. "Ben got stabbed."_

_Audrey's heart stopped._

_Jay continued. "I saw him get stabbed, but then I got stabbed trying to get to him. I don't know how, but he and Mal got away."_

_Audrey noticed her touch couldn't do anymore and tried to withhold her tears, but failed as they came running out. She nearly flinched at a foreign touch upon her until she registered that it was Jay wiping her tears away._

_"I...I know they're my friends, but is it bad that I'm glad y-your okay? Glad that out of everything I've seen, I don't have the image of you getting hurt on my mind? You were one of the few people who didn't come and you got away safely. I'm...I'm glad. I'm happy the last thing I see is your safety..."_

_Jay's eyes started to drop and Audrey held onto the hand that held her tears, trying to convey all she felt._

_"I thank you," she gasped as she kissed his cheek, catching a gist of a smile form on his face for the last time before he passed._

_She slowly let go of his hand and walked away. She couldn't move his body nor keep him with her. So, she forced herself to focus on the royal couple and prayed as she walked that Mal gave her life to protect Ben with her life._

* * *

_Audrey ran into Belle's rose garden as fast as she could. After their marriage, Adam had gifted Belle with a large rose garden meant for and specifically to his Queen. It was so large that it took up more than half the whole yard and was made into a large maze. Audrey could remember all the times when she would run through it whenever she visited the castle as a child and get lost navigating it._

_And somehow, Ben had always found her._

_But as a wedding gift to his bride, Ben and gone and dedicated the other half of the royal garden to Mal and had special, purple roses grown in for her. As time went on, he also made a maze of those roses and build a "bridge" connecting Mal and Belle's gardens, unifying them and with time, causing both roses to grow on either side._ _If she was an injured royal with an equally injured spouse, she'd take refuge in the giant maze as well! What better place to hide from your enemies._

_Once she got outside, she felt her stomach drop. What was once a beautiful garden that she could perfectly picture under a serene full moon, was now set afire with only the moon like a silent spectator. The sight of fallen knights leading inside the maze filled her with dread. Ben had a good idea, but the odds of someone navigating the maze as well would be costly. Seeing no other choice, Audrey hastily ran in, having long navigated it herself years ago and knowing where to hide._

_(She came here during the wedding reception, after all.)_

_The scent of blood and burnt roses was something she could never forget. She covered her mouth and fought the urge to regurgitate the bile forming in the pits of her stomach, only to fail and do so anyway when it became too much. She couldn't breathe. Everything was telling her to turn around, go back, mount Amaryllis and get to Belle's harbor and find some operation boat to set sail on. To distance herself away from the atrocities she'd witnessed tonight and find some way to move forward. She needed to think for herself and turn around._

_But the painful horror of What-Ifs plagued her if she didn't confirm with her own eyes what had happened to Ben._

_So, she trudged on. Fighting through the bile and the coppery-flowery stenches that should nowhere be associated with one another and made her way to the center of the maze. But when she did, under the glowing moon and searched gardens, Audrey screamed out in silent horror._

_It couldn't be. No way was it possible. He should be fine! Hee should've been safe!_

_Audrey believed she was in Hell._

_It was the last stand, and in the center of the destroyed maze was Ben...on the ground, with blood everywhere but particularly from his chest. She shook her head in denial, not wanting to believe this as she ran to him before falling and pulling his body into his arms and trying to wake him up._

_"Ben! Ben, wake up! " she called as she cradled his head into her arms. "No...no, no, no, no, no, no! This can't be happening! This is not the time for games, Ben! Okay, you have to wake up! You have to get out of here! More could come back any second! Come on, I got Amaryllis! We can go! Ben? BEN!"_

_But no matter how much she called out, the king was cold. His eyes laid open, but they were frozen in time, devoid of any life._

_Ben was dead._

_The tears came pouring down as Audrey tried to shake away her disbelief and denial because he can't be dead. He can't. No matter what went on between them, he was her **king**. Her first love, her best friend, her everything even when she wasn't his. And he was just...gone._

_"Ben..." she whispered as tears fell from her face and onto Ben's. Shaking her head again, she slowly lowered his eyelids closed. He looked peaceful as if he was just asleep and not someplace she could not go. Suddenly she felt it. Everything was coming to her and erupting full force. The betrayal, the death, the agony, pain, sorrow..._

_Audrey just threw her head back and...let it out._

_"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" she cried out into earth-shattering screams. They filled up the entire garden and raised into the night sky. She could possibly be heard from miles and beyond, possibly to the seas and the deep below or high up as the atmosphere would allow and more so that even the gods could hear her. She hugged Ben's body and begged him to come back, to be with her, to hear that she loved him one last time, anything just as long as he to come back to her._

_On the side, unseen from the heartbroken Rose Queen's eyes and completely unnoticed by her, a mortally and emotionally wounded Queen Mal watched the heartbreaking display in front of her._

_This was all her fault. She let the barrier down, let all the wrong people into her kingdom, trusted the wrong people, and watched arrogantly and naively as she believed the kingdom she had loved would never falter._

_And because of that, Ben was dead. Her husband was dead. She didn't know how, but the leader of the rebels had an enchanted crossbow and he hit her within the Great Ballroom, causing her to lose access to her dragon form and sever the connection to her demigod side. With some of her fae magic, she could still create fire but lost the advantage. Ben got stabbed and running into the maze was a last resort. It worked for the most part, but Ben died delivering the killing blow to the Rebel Leader who dealt his._

_She's alive, but what was the point? Everyone she loved is dead. Her friends, her family, everyone. In the most tragic irony, her mother was right: Mal would be Auradon's ruin. Her choices led this to happen._

_But to think the Queen of Auroria would risk her safety just to see if they- no, Ben was alright...Mal felt so lost._

_But she could fix this! She could and she would! She recalled a spell from one of her mother's spellbooks. It was a Time Travel spell. It was to simply let your greatest desire guide you back in time to a point that that could change everything. She could go back and close the Barrier for good! She could handle the hate, just as she did on the Isle, as long as no one she loved was GONE!_

_Mal began incanting the chant. It was foreign and magic seeped through her into something she felt and somehow **couldn't** understand. Slowly, she felt magic she never felt before. She suddenly didn't feel so invincible or confident in her spell. It had a hold on her in ways she didn't like, but for now, she didn't care! It just needed to work!_

_A harsh wind blew as a powerful wave of purple smoke formed and lightning encircled them._

_Audrey didn't notice as her attention was on Ben, who wished that all she could do was protect them._

_Unbeknownst to the two queens, an unseen force was watching._ _Amongst the chaos, a dark vortex opened and an unseen audience glanced as it remained invisible to the eyes of mortals and the castor, who hadn't seen it._

_The magic Mal incited wasn't that of her mother's but a stolen spell of an ancient entity. Inside the vortex, it could see and feel all desires. But its attention wasn't on Mal, but its "gaze" fell upon Audrey and the fallen king. It was curious, as to how such events resulted in such defiant sides. Using it's abilities, it saw into their minds and their hearts._

_And what it saw had it's complete and undivided awareness._

_Two queens. Two wishes. It had seen both their backgrounds, different but very familiar in comparison. One wanted everything while the other stayed in content. One wasn't humbled while the other learned to be. One continued to change while the other was halted progress._

_While Mal wanted to go back and could possibly make as many damaging choices as she's already made, Audrey just simply wished to protect the one she loved. In a place where both could be seen as selfish, Audrey was the most selfless of the two. So it made a choice._

_A choice to change the narrative. A choice to see how things could be different. As a silent spectator, it would give the two queens a choice. One that would be buried deep into their minds, never aware of their past but help them make subconscious decisions in their future. And it would take them far into the past._

_So far that, everything changes._

_The purple fog changed._

_The misty magic surrounding them changed colors. From purple to pink, from deep purple to velvet pink, to blue and black and repeated in that order. The ferocious winds picked up throughout the garden, fast and whirling. Pulling and picking out rose petals that gathered and formed around the center of the maze, blowing and swirling as it danced around the tragic characters of life._

_By the time, Audrey finally looked up, barely able to register the havoc before her vision was pierced by a flash of light, and every faded._

* * *

On an early morning, as the sun broke out on a dusty pink sky, somewhere in a castle that wasn't ravaged by insurgents and tragedy, a gentle breeze blew through a garden. The gentleness of it caused rose petals to delicately fall off and flow through the wind, where it blew through an open window and landed into the bed chambers of a young teenage girl, who tossed and turned in her sleep.

The visions of darkness, death, and blood surround her with corpses she did yet didn't recognize. She moved, ran, did everything she could to get away from the demons plaguing her sleep until it was too much and she bolted upright and screamed.

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

Almost instantaneously, three fairies came flying in and corralled the screaming girl, trying to comfort her,

"Oh dear, or dear, calm down, princess!" a fairy dressed in red called.

"Obviously that isn't working!" a fairy in blue retorted.

"Enough! Both of you! She obviously had a nightmare!" a fairy in green stated as she held the girl, who had quieted down and now reduced to tears.

The princess kept crying and crying, and neither of the fairies knew what to do to placate her. Eventually, the tears were reduced to sniffles and she slowly calmed down. The fairy in red conjured a tissue, which she accepted gracefully.

"Audrey Rose, what in Auradon had you in a right fright?" the fairy in blue asked.

Slowly looking up at her fairy grandmothers, Audrey tried her best to recall what seemed to be a terrible nightmare, but all she felt was blanks. They were once blatant and terrifying, but she now could no longer recall them. Just the feeling of very overwhelming sadness. She looked down on her lap to see the rose petals that had blown in from her window and landed on her.

"Are you alright, princess?" the fairy in green asked.

"Yes, I'm fine, Fauna." She turned her head to the fairy in red. "But I wish to have breakfast in my room, Fairy Godmother Flora. Please add some rose jam to my toast, please."

Flora bowed her head. "As you wish, Princess Audrey. Come Fauna, Merryweather. "

As the fairies exited her royal chambers, Audrey wiped her eyes, looked down at the petals, and held them up against the morning sun rays shining into her room. She truly had no idea what her dream was.

Just only that it was really, really _sad_.


End file.
